1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transport apparatus in general and more particularly to a transport apparatus for transporting an object of the transporting, for example, parts made of magnetic materials such as steel balls, machine screws, bolts, nuts or the like to desired directions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a transport apparatus for transporting parts upward, a bucket elevator is known. In the bucket elevator, buckets installed at regular intervals on an endless annular chain or belt are traveled upward to transport parts contained in the buckets sequentially to desired places.
FIG. 32(A) is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional transport apparatus which forms the background of the present invention. The transport apparatus 1 comprises a belt conveyor 2 provided with a magnet roller 2a. A magnet portion 4 consisting of a magnet plate or a magnet bar is provided on the underside of a belt 3. In the transport apparatus 1, parts W are magnetically attracted to the upper surface of the belt 3 by the magnetizing force of the magnet portion 4 so as to transport them obliquely upwardly.
FIG. 32(B) is a schematic view showing another example of a conventional transport apparatus which forms the background of the present invention. A transport apparatus 1 comprises a bottomed cylindrical transport member 5. A rotary shaft 6 is rotatably provided inside the transport member 5. The rotary shaft 6 is rotatably supported by the transport member 5 through a bearing 7. A groove 8 is spirally formed on the peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 6. A plurality of magnets 9 is formed inside the groove 8. In the transport apparatus 1, the rotary shaft 6 is rotated to transport the parts W (such as, iron powders) obliquely upwardly, with the parts W being magnetically attracted to the peripheral surface of the transport member 5.
In the above-described transport apparatuses, normally, the parts W are taken out from the elevator or the conveyor to transport them to desired places.
In the transport apparatus comprising the bucket elevator, however, it takes much time and labor to manufacture the buckets. Further, the elevator is large, and thus the installing space of the entire apparatus is large. Thus, the running cost is high.
In the transport apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 32(A), the installing space of the conveyor is large and further, it is difficult to upwardly vertically transport parts such as steel balls which contact the upper surface of the belt 3 in a small area. This is because the parts W are transported along the belt 3, with the parts W being supported on the upper surface of the belt 3 by only the magnetic attraction force of the magnet portion 4.
In the transport apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 32(B), the parts W such as iron powders can be reliably transported obliquely upwardly. But it is difficult to transport comparatively large parts such as steel balls, machine screws, bolts, nuts, coil springs or the like vertically upwardly.
In the transport apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 32(A) and 32(B), in transporting the parts W such as hexagon nuts, hexagon head bolts or the like and pillar-shaped parts such as triangular prisms having a comparatively great contact area, surfaces of the magnetized parts W are attracted to each other in undesired postures. That is, bridging of the parts W occurs. Thus, it is difficult to transport the parts W smoothly along a transport path.
Further, in each of the above-described transport apparatuses, the parts W are taken out from the transport path of the elevator or that of the conveyor at a fixed take-out position thereof in transferring the parts W to desired places from each of the transport apparatuses. Thus, it is difficult to alter the take-out position easily.